Euro NCAP has released its final batch of crash-test results for 2017, covering as many as 15 new or updated vehicles.
The safety authority ended what it described as its “busiest-ever year” by awarding five stars to the new Hyundai Kona, Kia Stinger, BMW 6 Series GT and Jaguar F-Pace.
The new Dacia Duster, MG ZS and Kia Stonic, meanwhile, each scored three stars, with the latter ramping up to five stars with optional safety equipment fitted.
Interestingly, Euro NCAP also updated its ratings of several facelifted vehicles. Most (apart from the refreshed Toyota Yaris, which retained its five-star rating) of these cars – including the updated Toyota Aygo, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Ford C-Max, Ford Grand C-Max, Opel Karl and DS3 – dropped to three stars in the latest safety tests.
But the Fiat Punto, which has been on sale since 2005 and is still popular in Italy, found itself “outclassed by every car tested in recent history”, becoming Euro NCAP’s first car ever to be awarded zero stars. The safety authority reported that the Punto was “let down” in the driver assistance and crash avoidance elements of the assessment.
“The fact that older cars cannot compete illustrates the pace at which the vehicle industry is innovating safety and the willingness and ability of competitive manufacturers to meet the highest standards. Those who do not keep their cars up to the latest standards get left behind, as these results clearly show,” said Euro NCAP secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen.
“This is perhaps the strongest example of a manufacturer continuing to sell a product that is well past its best-before date, at the expense of the unsuspecting car buyer. We would urge consumers to check our website for the latest ratings and to choose cars with the most up-to-date five-star ratings, many examples of which we have seen in 2017,” he added.
Watch the Punto’s crash-test video below and head over to Euro NCAP’s YouTube channel to see the rest…
